Jonathan Jarry
@jonathanjarry.bsky.social
Science communicator with McGill University's Office for Science and Society. Separating sense from nonsense. Not all studies are created equal.
Paul Platt’s video essays are always worth a watch.
This is about how actors need Instagram followers to get jobs, same with comedians.
The world’s changed.
Now what?
youtu.be/8QnZ88Z8VO0?...
This is about how actors need Instagram followers to get jobs, same with comedians.
The world’s changed.
Now what?
youtu.be/8QnZ88Z8VO0?...
social media ruined the arts... and we need to get over it
YouTube video by Paul Platt
youtu.be
November 11, 2025 at 3:32 AM
Paul Platt’s video essays are always worth a watch.
This is about how actors need Instagram followers to get jobs, same with comedians.
The world’s changed.
Now what?
youtu.be/8QnZ88Z8VO0?...
This is about how actors need Instagram followers to get jobs, same with comedians.
The world’s changed.
Now what?
youtu.be/8QnZ88Z8VO0?...
If only science communicators, doctors, and the people who have monitored the anti-vaxx movement for years could have convinced journalists and politicians of this....
They want zero vaccines. They're not hiding it.
They want zero vaccines. They're not hiding it.
As predicted, they’re going after the entire childhood vaccination schedule (second slide, from WaPo).
November 10, 2025 at 9:30 PM
If only science communicators, doctors, and the people who have monitored the anti-vaxx movement for years could have convinced journalists and politicians of this....
They want zero vaccines. They're not hiding it.
They want zero vaccines. They're not hiding it.
The film we can all agree we need: a dog gets depressed when his humans break up, so they must bring him to Florida to lift his spirits.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merv_(f...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merv_(f...
Merv (film) - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
November 10, 2025 at 8:08 PM
The film we can all agree we need: a dog gets depressed when his humans break up, so they must bring him to Florida to lift his spirits.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merv_(f...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merv_(f...
#Episky,
"Cohort X had about a 90% higher chance of incident heart failure over 5 years compared with matched non-users (4.6% vs. 2.7%, respectively)."
Isn't that a 70.4% increase, not 90%? How do we get 90% from these numbers?
Thank you!
"Cohort X had about a 90% higher chance of incident heart failure over 5 years compared with matched non-users (4.6% vs. 2.7%, respectively)."
Isn't that a 70.4% increase, not 90%? How do we get 90% from these numbers?
Thank you!
November 10, 2025 at 7:42 PM
#Episky,
"Cohort X had about a 90% higher chance of incident heart failure over 5 years compared with matched non-users (4.6% vs. 2.7%, respectively)."
Isn't that a 70.4% increase, not 90%? How do we get 90% from these numbers?
Thank you!
"Cohort X had about a 90% higher chance of incident heart failure over 5 years compared with matched non-users (4.6% vs. 2.7%, respectively)."
Isn't that a 70.4% increase, not 90%? How do we get 90% from these numbers?
Thank you!
From a book explaining Ayurveda, I learn that "space" and "air" are distinct elements, and that "vibrations in space transmit sound."
Um... bad news, Ayurveda.
The problem is that this prescientific fantasy is now poisoning people with heavy metals and alcohol.
More on that on Friday!
Um... bad news, Ayurveda.
The problem is that this prescientific fantasy is now poisoning people with heavy metals and alcohol.
More on that on Friday!
November 10, 2025 at 6:35 PM
From a book explaining Ayurveda, I learn that "space" and "air" are distinct elements, and that "vibrations in space transmit sound."
Um... bad news, Ayurveda.
The problem is that this prescientific fantasy is now poisoning people with heavy metals and alcohol.
More on that on Friday!
Um... bad news, Ayurveda.
The problem is that this prescientific fantasy is now poisoning people with heavy metals and alcohol.
More on that on Friday!
Reposted by Jonathan Jarry
UPDATE: Canada has announced that it has lost its measles elimination status.
This is a direct result of the increase in anti-vax disinformation, which has caused large, sustained outbreaks in the country over the last year.
This is a direct result of the increase in anti-vax disinformation, which has caused large, sustained outbreaks in the country over the last year.
November 10, 2025 at 6:19 PM
UPDATE: Canada has announced that it has lost its measles elimination status.
This is a direct result of the increase in anti-vax disinformation, which has caused large, sustained outbreaks in the country over the last year.
This is a direct result of the increase in anti-vax disinformation, which has caused large, sustained outbreaks in the country over the last year.
Reposted by Jonathan Jarry
The heath benefits of multilingualism appear to be far beyond prior expectations
erictopol.substack.com/p/multilingu...
erictopol.substack.com/p/multilingu...
Multilingualism and Extending Healthspan
Evidence for a new independent lifestyle factor linked to healthy aging
erictopol.substack.com
November 10, 2025 at 4:08 PM
The heath benefits of multilingualism appear to be far beyond prior expectations
erictopol.substack.com/p/multilingu...
erictopol.substack.com/p/multilingu...
Knowing more than one language associated with living longer in very large European study.
BUT "we have no idea when a person learned a new language and how proficient or how frequent the language was spoken."
Still, c'est encourageant!
erictopol.substack.com/p/multilingu...
BUT "we have no idea when a person learned a new language and how proficient or how frequent the language was spoken."
Still, c'est encourageant!
erictopol.substack.com/p/multilingu...
Multilingualism and Extending Healthspan
Evidence for a new independent lifestyle factor linked to healthy aging
erictopol.substack.com
November 10, 2025 at 4:34 PM
Knowing more than one language associated with living longer in very large European study.
BUT "we have no idea when a person learned a new language and how proficient or how frequent the language was spoken."
Still, c'est encourageant!
erictopol.substack.com/p/multilingu...
BUT "we have no idea when a person learned a new language and how proficient or how frequent the language was spoken."
Still, c'est encourageant!
erictopol.substack.com/p/multilingu...
The old “art under capitalism” debate rears its head again as fans of Game of Thrones are served AI slop in the latest anniversary edition of a GoT book.
Why paint when you can prompt?
youtu.be/WBFdItxslcg?...
Why paint when you can prompt?
youtu.be/WBFdItxslcg?...
Allegations of AI Art Used in Game of Thrones Special Edition
YouTube video by Daniel Greene
youtu.be
November 10, 2025 at 1:47 PM
The old “art under capitalism” debate rears its head again as fans of Game of Thrones are served AI slop in the latest anniversary edition of a GoT book.
Why paint when you can prompt?
youtu.be/WBFdItxslcg?...
Why paint when you can prompt?
youtu.be/WBFdItxslcg?...
Reposted by Jonathan Jarry
I spotted this on Mastodon and I find it horrible, not least for the speed with which this has happened.
November 4, 2025 at 9:56 AM
I spotted this on Mastodon and I find it horrible, not least for the speed with which this has happened.
🌶️ ➡️ 🍰
Has anyone had this experience? You bite into something that is *way spicier* than you can handle... and once you've recovered, your brain makes slightly sweet stuff taste *way sweeter* than normal? Like a temporary dysgeusia?
Has anyone had this experience? You bite into something that is *way spicier* than you can handle... and once you've recovered, your brain makes slightly sweet stuff taste *way sweeter* than normal? Like a temporary dysgeusia?
November 8, 2025 at 2:44 PM
🌶️ ➡️ 🍰
Has anyone had this experience? You bite into something that is *way spicier* than you can handle... and once you've recovered, your brain makes slightly sweet stuff taste *way sweeter* than normal? Like a temporary dysgeusia?
Has anyone had this experience? You bite into something that is *way spicier* than you can handle... and once you've recovered, your brain makes slightly sweet stuff taste *way sweeter* than normal? Like a temporary dysgeusia?
Reposted by Jonathan Jarry
Another example "nocebo" effect (expectation of bad response) driving a diet trend? 👇
Who Is the Low-Histamine Diet Really For? www.mcgill.ca/oss/article/... by @jonathanjarry.bsky.social
The justifications for diet "hits a wall when people get tested in a blinded fashion."
Who Is the Low-Histamine Diet Really For? www.mcgill.ca/oss/article/... by @jonathanjarry.bsky.social
The justifications for diet "hits a wall when people get tested in a blinded fashion."
Who Is the Low-Histamine Diet Really For?
Do you have difficulty falling asleep? A bit of anxiety? Headaches? Any sort of digestive issue? A low-histamine diet may be for you! So claims a blog post on one of the many websites promoting this d...
www.mcgill.ca
November 8, 2025 at 1:39 PM
Another example "nocebo" effect (expectation of bad response) driving a diet trend? 👇
Who Is the Low-Histamine Diet Really For? www.mcgill.ca/oss/article/... by @jonathanjarry.bsky.social
The justifications for diet "hits a wall when people get tested in a blinded fashion."
Who Is the Low-Histamine Diet Really For? www.mcgill.ca/oss/article/... by @jonathanjarry.bsky.social
The justifications for diet "hits a wall when people get tested in a blinded fashion."
You had me at “geriatric island for penguins.”
You lost me at “acupuncture.”
You lost me at “acupuncture.”
Are you an older penguin looking to age with dignity? The New England Aquarium in Boston might be the place for you.
The aquarium has a geriatric island for endangered penguins that have exceeded their life expectancy and need a little extra care. https://wapo.st/3Lobf5N
The aquarium has a geriatric island for endangered penguins that have exceeded their life expectancy and need a little extra care. https://wapo.st/3Lobf5N
November 8, 2025 at 1:27 PM
You had me at “geriatric island for penguins.”
You lost me at “acupuncture.”
You lost me at “acupuncture.”
Reposted by Jonathan Jarry
Horrified but not surprised to learn that the predatory pseudoscience known as the Lightning Process is alive and well in Canada, and being targeted at (the bank accounts of) people with Long Covid who are desperate to return to their old lives.
simonspichak.beehiiv.com/p/cbc-flagsh...
simonspichak.beehiiv.com/p/cbc-flagsh...
CBC’s Flagship Program Platforms “Quackery” for Long COVID
CBC's national broadcast aired an interview with Gill Deacon about her Long COVID recovery. Deacon used an unproven program called the Lightning Process that's been criticized for exploiting patients ...
simonspichak.beehiiv.com
November 7, 2025 at 9:38 PM
Horrified but not surprised to learn that the predatory pseudoscience known as the Lightning Process is alive and well in Canada, and being targeted at (the bank accounts of) people with Long Covid who are desperate to return to their old lives.
simonspichak.beehiiv.com/p/cbc-flagsh...
simonspichak.beehiiv.com/p/cbc-flagsh...
James Watson, co-discoverer of the double-helix structure of DNA, has died.
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/07/s...
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/07/s...
![Comments on race
At a conference in 2000, Watson suggested a link between skin color and sex drive, hypothesizing that dark-skinned people have stronger libidos.[72][100] His lecture argued that extracts of melanin—which gives skin its color—had been found to boost subjects' sex drive. "That's why you have Latin lovers", he said, according to people who attended the lecture. "You've never heard of an English lover. Only an English Patient."[101] Watson has also said that stereotypes associated with racial and ethnic groups have a genetic basis: Jews being intelligent, Chinese being intelligent but not creative because of selection for conformity, and Indians being servile because of selection under caste endogamy.[102] Regarding intelligence differences between blacks and whites, Watson has asserted that "all our social policies are based on the fact that their (blacks) intelligence is the same as ours (whites) – whereas all the testing says not really ... people who have to deal with black employees find this not true."[103]
Watson has repeatedly asserted that differences in average measured IQ between blacks and whites are due to genetics.[104][105][106] In early October 2007, he was interviewed by Charlotte Hunt-Grubbe at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL). Watson discussed his view that Africans are less intelligent than Westerners.[107][108][109] Watson said his intention was to promote science, not racism, but some UK venues canceled his appearances,[110] and Watson canceled the rest of his tour.[111][112][113][114] An editorial in Nature said that his remarks were "beyond the pale" but expressed a wish that the tour had not been canceled so that Watson would have had to face his critics in person, encouraging scientific discussion on the matter.[115] Because of the controversy, the board of trustees at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory suspended Watson's administrative responsibilities.[116] Watson issued an apology,[117] then retired at age 79 from CSHL from …](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:6da46v7qasijhf2baetbstrn/bafkreiezep77dopfsbfj5lpyz3zuj7g2kdgzetd6fkticoaljspzgc7czu@jpeg)
November 7, 2025 at 7:46 PM
James Watson, co-discoverer of the double-helix structure of DNA, has died.
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/07/s...
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/07/s...
Next week, I'll be tackling a shocking topic I learned more about at QED, and it involves ::checks paper he's reading now:: "excreta of baby elephant" and "semen of the Civet cat."
Should be fun.
Should be fun.
November 7, 2025 at 7:13 PM
Next week, I'll be tackling a shocking topic I learned more about at QED, and it involves ::checks paper he's reading now:: "excreta of baby elephant" and "semen of the Civet cat."
Should be fun.
Should be fun.
Have you been tempted to try a low-histamine diet? Do you suspect you may have histamine intolerance from the food you eat?
I looked into this trend and was surprised/not surprised by what I found.
My latest for @mcgilloss.bsky.social.
www.mcgill.ca/oss/article/...
I looked into this trend and was surprised/not surprised by what I found.
My latest for @mcgilloss.bsky.social.
www.mcgill.ca/oss/article/...
Who Is the Low-Histamine Diet Really For?
Do you have difficulty falling asleep? A bit of anxiety? Headaches? Any sort of digestive issue? A low-histamine diet may be for you! So claims a blog post on one of the many websites promoting this d...
www.mcgill.ca
November 7, 2025 at 7:03 PM
Have you been tempted to try a low-histamine diet? Do you suspect you may have histamine intolerance from the food you eat?
I looked into this trend and was surprised/not surprised by what I found.
My latest for @mcgilloss.bsky.social.
www.mcgill.ca/oss/article/...
I looked into this trend and was surprised/not surprised by what I found.
My latest for @mcgilloss.bsky.social.
www.mcgill.ca/oss/article/...
Privileged to be a returning speaker at the MGH/Harvard Interdisciplinary Pain & Headache Rounds this December, talking about the evidence (lack thereof) for many alt. medical practices used by people in pain.
Doctors need to be better informed.
cpdlearn.massgeneralbrigham.org/course/mghha...
Doctors need to be better informed.
cpdlearn.massgeneralbrigham.org/course/mghha...
MGH/Harvard Interdisciplinary Pain and Headache Rounds 2025-2026-Archive
cpdlearn.massgeneralbrigham.org
November 7, 2025 at 3:06 PM
Privileged to be a returning speaker at the MGH/Harvard Interdisciplinary Pain & Headache Rounds this December, talking about the evidence (lack thereof) for many alt. medical practices used by people in pain.
Doctors need to be better informed.
cpdlearn.massgeneralbrigham.org/course/mghha...
Doctors need to be better informed.
cpdlearn.massgeneralbrigham.org/course/mghha...
THIS 👇
If you want to *do* something with your skepticism, listen to the main segment on this episode of Skeptics with a K. @mrmmarsh.bsky.social does a brilliant job of highlighting how we can all get involved.
www.merseysideskeptics.org.uk/podcasts/ske...
If you want to *do* something with your skepticism, listen to the main segment on this episode of Skeptics with a K. @mrmmarsh.bsky.social does a brilliant job of highlighting how we can all get involved.
www.merseysideskeptics.org.uk/podcasts/ske...
Episode #439 | Skeptics with a K | Merseyside Skeptics Society
<p>In the aftermath of QED, Marsh talks about the communities skepticism and built and ways they can be used to make a difference. Meanwhile, Mike visits a water park and Marsh goes to Hadrian's W...
www.merseysideskeptics.org.uk
November 7, 2025 at 1:23 AM
THIS 👇
If you want to *do* something with your skepticism, listen to the main segment on this episode of Skeptics with a K. @mrmmarsh.bsky.social does a brilliant job of highlighting how we can all get involved.
www.merseysideskeptics.org.uk/podcasts/ske...
If you want to *do* something with your skepticism, listen to the main segment on this episode of Skeptics with a K. @mrmmarsh.bsky.social does a brilliant job of highlighting how we can all get involved.
www.merseysideskeptics.org.uk/podcasts/ske...
That moment when @mikehall314.bsky.social, going rogue, ordered—ORDERED!—the foot-tapping anthem “Duggadoo” from Doctor Who to be played full blast before #QEDcon began.
I will never forget his bravery.
I will never forget his bravery.
November 6, 2025 at 8:41 PM
That moment when @mikehall314.bsky.social, going rogue, ordered—ORDERED!—the foot-tapping anthem “Duggadoo” from Doctor Who to be played full blast before #QEDcon began.
I will never forget his bravery.
I will never forget his bravery.
A quick snapshot of the official end of #QEDcon: Nicola, Andy, Marsh & Mike walking off stage after a standing ovation.
There is unlikely to be another skeptical conference like QED but I can only hope the organizers inspired the next generation to be as considerate and passionate as they were.
There is unlikely to be another skeptical conference like QED but I can only hope the organizers inspired the next generation to be as considerate and passionate as they were.
November 6, 2025 at 12:37 AM
A quick snapshot of the official end of #QEDcon: Nicola, Andy, Marsh & Mike walking off stage after a standing ovation.
There is unlikely to be another skeptical conference like QED but I can only hope the organizers inspired the next generation to be as considerate and passionate as they were.
There is unlikely to be another skeptical conference like QED but I can only hope the organizers inspired the next generation to be as considerate and passionate as they were.
You could rack up a massive debt by going to a genuine U.S. university, or you could go to a fake conservative university, UATX, for *free* thanks to a $100 million donation by Jeff Yass, a billionaire TikTok investor who has funded libertarians and Republicans!
uatx.substack.com/p/uatx-is-en...
uatx.substack.com/p/uatx-is-en...
UATX Is Ending Tuition Forever
Announcing a historic $100 million donation.
uatx.substack.com
November 5, 2025 at 3:17 PM
You could rack up a massive debt by going to a genuine U.S. university, or you could go to a fake conservative university, UATX, for *free* thanks to a $100 million donation by Jeff Yass, a billionaire TikTok investor who has funded libertarians and Republicans!
uatx.substack.com/p/uatx-is-en...
uatx.substack.com/p/uatx-is-en...
"Sarepta’s drugs have had multiple chances to show that they can improve the lives of Duchenne’s sufferers, and as far as I can see they have failed to do so every single time."
Someday I will not have to write about Sarepta Therapeutics and their ineffective drugs that never should have been approved by the FDA in the first place.
This is not that day.
This is not that day.
Sarepta: Enough, For God's Sake
www.science.org
November 5, 2025 at 1:45 PM
"Sarepta’s drugs have had multiple chances to show that they can improve the lives of Duchenne’s sufferers, and as far as I can see they have failed to do so every single time."
We must get our good news wherever we can.
LOOKA-DE-SHOOOOS!
LOOKA-DE-SHOOOOS!
This dog was spotted wearing shoes. This is not a drill. He hopes you like them. 13/10
November 4, 2025 at 9:06 PM
We must get our good news wherever we can.
LOOKA-DE-SHOOOOS!
LOOKA-DE-SHOOOOS!